THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



No. 15.] JUNE, MDCCCLXV. [Price 6d. 



Notes on the Meli/rida. By G. R. Crotch, Esq. 



In continuation of some remarks made by me in a former 

 number (Entora. 167) on the Telephorida?, I have now drawn 

 up brief distinguishing characters for the Melyridae known 

 to inhabit this country. This group has been for some time 

 in a state of considerable confusion, no special work, except 

 Erichson's on Malachius, having appeared since the older 

 authors. As a natural consequence it will be necessary to 

 make some changes in the received nomenclature. I have 

 here followed the steps of the latest authority, H. v. Kies- 

 enwetter, who, in the fourth volume of the ' Insekten Deutsch- 

 lands,' has given a complete epitome of all the species likely 

 to concern us, I'he Melyrida) divide into very natural 

 groups, — Malachiades and Dasytides, — distinguished by the 

 presence of lateral vesicles in the former. The Malachiades 

 are represented by three genera in this country, but three 

 others — Apalochrus, Charopus and Ebaeus — may be expected 

 to occur; the latter, indeed, is represented by two species in 

 the old collections, but no recent examples seem to have 

 occurred. 



Apaloc/i rus /em oral is, Er. — If line. Black ; elytra green ; 

 antennee, tibiae and tarsi testaceous. Apparently rather of 

 eastern distribution, but being found rarely in Sweden and 

 Germany, and more commonl}' in Hungary and S. Russia. 

 It may be known from all others by the apparently 10- 

 jointed antennae. 



Malachius, Fabr. 



§ I. Elytra simple in both sexes. 



1. M. ceneus, L. — 3 — 3|^ lines. Green ; head yellow in 



front : thorax at the anterior angles and elytra red, the latter 



with a long, green, common, triangular patch, which very 



rarely extends so as to leave the elytra only margined with 



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